Moving-picture-display screen



UNITED STATES PATENT orrics.

FREDERICK C. RCCKWELL, C915' HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, LND WILBUR M. DAVIS, OF

GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGHRS T0 EUREKA SCREEN COMPANY, TNC., 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION CF CONNECTICUT.

Leonesa,

lpplication led November 2l, ilS.

of the United States, have invented a new f a l and useful improvement in Moving-PicturelDisplay Screens, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of our invention is a display screen for moving pictures that will ltend to display the projected photographsfin pleasingly-colored and apparently-natural tints and at the same time give relief from eyestrain by the` extreme softness and delicacy of their coloring.

lt is the further and even more essential obiect of our invention to provide a display screen universal in character in the sense that it will possess the advantages above described when pictures from any style or subject of film are projected upon it.

A display screen embodying our invention can best be appreciated and understood from a consideration of the various elements entering into its production as we have found by our experiments. these elements, we would point out that while we Ihave found that a universal screen, in accordance with the objects of our invention, can be obtained througha color effect applied to the screen either by painting thereon or by proiection, the mere coloring of a screen invarious parts to satisfy the conditions of a picture lproj ected from a singie lilm is entirely inadequate and inefficient for any other conditions than those for which it was initially made. ln other words, to provide a screen'universal incharacter, which will satisfy any condition, a color scheine or effect had to be obtained of a distinctive and arbitrary character.

The invention can be better explained in the light of the drawing in which there is shown in front elevation a screen illustrative of the manner in which the patches of color are `distributed over theV screen. lnpother words, the face of thescreen has been treated with a color scheme-or arrangement of colors substantially in accordance with the principles illustrative of the invention. The

lvarious colors are numbered 1 to 5, inclusive,

Specification. of Letters kitent.

Before referring to' SCREEN'.

iPatent-cd Cot. 26, 192C,

serial no. eeaeia.

and of these l represents blue, 2 pink, 3 yellow, el purple and 5 green.

Referring now to the various elements entering into our screen, there may be enumerated the following The application to the screen of a color scheme or effect comprising a number or variety of interiningled colors of wea-k tone density, blended together along,` their meeting edges so as to efface they line of demarcation between the same. ln this connection the drawing is hardly illustrative of the manner in which the colors are blended toget-her along,r their meeting edges, this being` difficult of illustration but being an expedient well known to those skilled in the art.

The density of the colors should be so weak that the colors will appear upon the screen as mere tintas, each tint retaining its own individuality except along the meeting edge of the various tints where the blending takes place. should be weaker in tone density than the middle tones of the average picture when projected upon theA screen. This keeps the coloringon the screen atall times subordinate to the design of the picture, whereas if strong` colors were used on the screen with a weak projected picture, one would see more pronounced the predominating colors, while the picture and its details would be faint and more or less lost, the effect being one of incongruity. Moreover, if the colors were equally as strong as` the projected picture, they would have to be suitable and conform with the design of the picture, therefore register with it, and would not do for any and every subject.

To obtain the best effects, all the colors including the blending should have substantially the same tone density. ln this connection it should be` noted that great care should he exercised that the blending be of such delicate application as not to appear of a stronger tone density than the colors between which the blending is effected.

`While the tone density of the colors 'should be weak as above described, yet brilliancy is desirable, those colors being preferably employed that will impart brilliancy even when their density is weak, such as the colors presently to be referred to.

The general scheme and arrangement apln fact, every color or tint 55j color are used which wil plied to the screen should be, also, of a sectional character, taking into consideration that portion of the screen where the animation of movement of objects and human beings is most likely to occur in the general run of films and as distinguished from those portions of the screen which display inanimate objects or eects. ,This is essentially almatter of estimation, it being found that the action or movement of people or objects generally takes place between and removed sideration the general movement or direction of movement of persons orobjectsappearing on the screen: ln providing a suitable color scheme and arrangement of colors for 'that portion of the screen where the most action takes place, we found that the color scheme and arrangement which gave the best results was one in -which a variety o f soft colors was employed running across the screen for long or short distances as distinguished from up and down the screen and with the edges carefully blended, the colors practically running into each other, IThe colors preferably employed for this portion-of the screen are pink, orange and purple and, asI we have found that moving objects, persons .and animals when displayed With thesecolorsappear more natural as to coloring,'such as' the flesh tones of human beings and the fur and hair' of animals. We preferably use a repetition of` colors in 5 this section because there is. not the contrast between them vthat there wouldbe if colder colors were used among them, so instead of making a few of these1 colors cover the space occupied by the middle section of the screen, we get a softer and a more vari-colored effect by filling the space with quite 'a number.

'ln the upper portion of the screen, where little or no action takes lace, long stripsof tpe most appropriate for interior and ex erior scenes and which will be in contrast tothe colors in that portion of the screen where animation appears. For this purpose cold colors are @0J preferably used such as chrome'yelldw and blue, the edges lof these colorsbeing carefully blended andA likewise being blended at their edges where they join the warmer colors of the. intermediate section of the screen. As before pointed out, thesecolors are preferably applied in long strips or bands transversely of the screen -in contrast with the shorter strips of color applied to the intermediate portion of the screem/ for they better exhibit `inanimate objects.

At'the lower portion of the screen, where there is little or no action or movement of projected figures, a color scheme or e'ect is provided which will be in contrast with -the softer, Warmer colors above them and which will alsobe appropriate for objects most generally appearing in such portion of the screen, whether interior or exterior scenes are shown, and for this purpose we prefer to use other colors than those used in the intermediatei and top portionsl of the screen,l 'such as green, lilac, light red, blue and yellow. These lcolors arel arranged lmore after the pattern of the colors in the intermediate .'section of thescreen in the sense that theyl are intermingledand run transversely across the screen for longer or shorter distances, each color along itsed es l being carefully blended into the' color adjacent to it.

soA

rlFheemployment at the top and bottowmof Ithe screen, where little action appears, of"

colors contrasting with those `employed `in` the umiddle, animate section, .assists materially in giving' a variegated and pleasantlytinted picture, for if the color scheme'of the middle section covered the entire screen the picture projected upon suchjmonotony of color would not appear with a vari-colored efect'but more'as a monotone. f

1 The application of color to the. screen may be accomplished in any suitable manner, the application being such, however,

that'the colorswill vappear in intermingled strips or patches, 'the strips running transversely thescreen for longer or shorter distances, as previously explained. The applis' cation of the colors'may be by painting die' rectly. .upon the' screen, water colors preferably being employed or any other suitable direct'application. The colors may also be y projected upon the screen asby projecting thereon colored rays oflight from a suitable projecting machine or device. When the colors are projected a plate is employed which is -colored according to the general t scheme above outlined, the colors and blendin being of course stronger than when applled directly to the screen in orderoto 'al-V low for ,the enlargement and consequent weakening of the colors by projection.

By the employment' of a 4screen colored in accordance with our inventionthere is obtained not only a colored, lifelike picture, softand pleasing to the'eye and which can j be used with any film, but the screen possesses other advantages, among which may be mentioned the factthat there is yobtained a strong stereoscopic eect, which is a thing lmuch tobe desired in the art. A further# 5 coloring affects essentially only those indoor and outdoor pictures where light, life and action prevail. The screen also ishelpful in concealing imperfections in the ilm asV Where the film is scratched or otherwise. defaced, and it also gives tone to. pictures thrown from films of secondary character.

Having thus fully described our invention, We claim and desire tov secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. A lmoving-picture display screen having applied Vto it a color` scheine sectional in character, the different sections each comprising a number of intermingled colors and the general color effect of adjacent sections contrasting With one another. 2. A moving-picture display screen having applied to it a color scheme sectional lin character, the different sections each comprising a number of intermingled, differdensity, the general color effect of adjacent ,ently-colored tints of generallyl Weak tone.v

'3. A moving-picture display screen having applied to it a color scheme sectional in character, the diferent sections each oomprising `a number of intermingled, diiferently-colored tints ofl generally Weak tone density, the general color` effect of adjacent `sections contrasting 'With one another, ad-

jacent tints being blended together along their meetingv edges and-all the tints including the blending between them having substantially the same tone'density:

4. A/moving-picture display screen having applied to 'it a color scheme sectional in character, the diilerent sections each comprising a number of intermingled, differently-coloredtints of generally Weak though brilliant tone density, the intermediate section of the screen having applied to it soft colors, the outer sections of the screen at the top and bottom having applied to them cold colors, the vgeneral color` eifect'of adjacent sectionscontrasting with` one another, ad`

jacent tints being blended along their meeting edges and all the Atints including the blending having substantially the same tone density;

FREDERICK C. ROCKWELL. WILBUR M.DAVIS. 

